The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-12-14


and more confidential.
81 know something he whispered.
"Of course i was very much amazed at that,
and responded, 30 you!
''Yes, SIR exclaimed Ebenezer emphati-
cally.
"''what is it?'
"'Oh. nothing! ONLY there's going to be
something on the tree for somebody
"Of course l inferred that he meant me.
but didn't think it would be quite proper for
me tosay so.
"After a pause the young man exclaimed
impulsively:
"'You 'spect to get anything of the tree?
"'wel, You will, and could tell who put 1t
on that tree for you, if had mind to-
"'Coud you?'
"Yaas. And it cost seventy-five cents
''Then there was silence. Time was given
mo TO digest the important fact, and then he
continued:
"I had seventy five cents jest fore Christ.
mas, but amt got 1t now, and don't care II
/ amt
"Then l knew, of course that he wished
me to know that he had put seventy-hve cent,
worth of something on the tree for me, and II
seemed to me that the proper thing for me to
do would be to place something on the tree
for him. was in dilemma; but l remem
bered that had in my pocket a pair or red
and green suspenders with brass buckles, that
Cyrus. and now concluded that the least
could do, in return for his generosity to me,
was to put them on for EbeneZer. And acting
on this conclusion p aced them on the tree.
''The tree was beautiful, to our unaccus
toned eyes, and the old school-house was full
of people. Mr. Hooper, as each present was
taken from the tree, read the name OF the boy
or girl to whom it was given. When my name
was called, marched up, and what do you
think that awkward boy had put there for me !!
Why, big china dolls head and candy heart
as big as pie, with BE True to the Giver. on
it in large gilt letters.
''AIy brother Cyrus knew that had made
the suspenders for him, and kept pointing at
them as they danged from the tree, saying to
the boys around him.
'Thems my spenders Them red and
green gallusses is going to be for me-
''You can imagine, therefore, what followed,
when they were called off for Mister Eben ,Zer
y. Dlll.' Cyrus fairly screeched IN his lndlg-
nation, and EXCHANGED
"'Them galusses amt for Eb Dill, They're
mine NY sister Prissy made 'em, an she
didn't make 'em for no Eb Dill, neither
"Of course there was a roar Of laughter all
over the school-roonl, and Cyrus began to cry.
But Ebenezer kept the suspenders, and l ac-
tually had to give Cyrus bite from my candy
heart to keep him quiet.
''Well, when the presents had oil been given,
Eb and l left for home. He talked fast
enough then, but about nothing but tsat dolls
head and the heart, and how splendid they
were.
''We had not gone very far when old Uncle
Simon Sharpe overlook us. He was q singular
old man, full of humor. I hardly think that
Longfellow himself could make rhyme easier
than Uncle Simon. His head was full Of it,
and they did say that he could say his prayers
in poetry. He was in the best of spirits, and
when he saw us, held his lantern up in our
faces, and exclaimed
sis this you, Priscilla Fink? Well, WE'LL
"'It may in truth be said by some,
That EbeneZer beaued you hum;
/ blame you not to take a spark
To light you home when it is dark
"Then he gave Ebenezer a poke with his
cane, and off he went ahead of us.
"We were nearly home, and were crossing
our pasture, when / said, Il wonder IL there
really are any bears in the woods For there
were occasionally bears In those days, in the
section Of country in which we lived, and
once in great while panther was killed.
"'Well, you're all right if there are bears,
replied Eb, quite bravely. But just then
something big and black jumped up from
under an old apple tree that stood little dis
lance at our right. 1t stood still for q mo-
ment, but when we moved it jumped back.
"'There is a bear = exclaimed Ebenezer,
and could feel his arm tremble.
THE animal made another jump, and Eb-
eneZer nlaue spring ALSO, ana actually got
round the other side of me, SO / was between
him and the animal.
81 started and ran past the tree as fast as
my feet would carry me toward home, leaving
EbeneZer screeching behind. was sure that
the bear was eating him up.
'Reaching home, l burst into the house
screaming, % father, father! EbeneZer A
bear Under the old apple-tree in the pasture
| lot y aud down | fell in dead faint, with the
candy heart and the dolls head broken to pieces
under me.
Father and my older brothers took Ian
terms and guns, and started for the elm-tree as
fast as they could run, while mother put me
| TO bed"
'Don't tell us that poor Ebenezer was killed,
| even If he was a coward, " cried one Of grand
mas breathless listeners.
Goodness, mol" laughed the old lady,
when father and the boys got within twenty
| yards or so Of the tree all was still, but the
form of the animal could be dimly seen.
"'You hold the lantern, said father, to bro
ther Henry and I'll shoot the beast. But
I'm 'fraid it's all up with poor Eb."
"But just as father was taking aim, he
| heard voice Don't shoot Mr.. Fink. II amt
no bear. Please get me loose
Gather and the boys at once ran to the
| tree, and the next moment they were laughing
so boisterously that mother heard them at the
| house.
'You soc, We had big, black calf about
/ nine months ola Inat nau Deen kept III tue
stable lot aud that day father had moved a
| part Of the fence so as TO enlarge the lot. To
keep the animal from running away, the
hired man had taken a long rope and then
tied up tie animal to the tree out in the past
| ure.
''When Eb and / came along the calf jumped
up. as badly scared as we, and then l ran,
and Eb in his fright thought that the safest
! place for him was to climb the tree. As he
was rushing for it, tho calf started, tore round
! il in circle, and before the frightened boy
could get out OF the way, that calf had wound
colt of rope around him. and it kept on run
ming round and round until it had bound
| poor Ebenezer to the tree III three or four
| coils Of rope
''Whilc he was trying to get out OF the coils
| that were about him, father and the boys were
on the ground, and before they were through
laughing, Eb had contrived to extricate him
self.
''He said that when he felt the rope wind
ing around him he thought il was boa con-
strictor, and he was so pale that when the Ian
tern was held to his face, the freckles showed
like tre spots on turkey egg
"And the boy was so angry because they
! laughed ut him that he lay down on the
ground and fairly beloved, and don't know
but he was there when Santa Claus went his
rounds that night. At any rate, after that
was never favorite Of his. The adventure
and the laughter of the boys at his cowar dice
effectually cured his love-making."